The perineal electrostimulator for pelvic floor rehabilitation

The perineum is a muscle located in the pelvis that supports the urinary tract and the genitals. It can relax and cause many discomforts such as incontinence problems or pelvic pain.

Discover how a perineal electrostimulator works and what its benefits are for the rehabilitation of a weakened perineum.

Principle and operation of electrostimulation

When our brain sends an electrical impulse to one of our muscles through our nerve fibers, natural muscle contraction occurs.

Electrostimulation is a natural process for causing muscle contraction through electrical impulses. These weak electric currents, of different frequencies and intensities, are generated by a device and transmitted via electrodes placed on the muscle to be targeted.

The objective of electrostimulation is to reproduce the natural contraction process of our muscles almost identically.

When performed with the appropriate equipment, electrotherapy offers:

● The relief of acute or chronic pain,

● Muscle relaxation by promoting blood circulation,

● Muscle strengthening.

What is a perineal electrostimulator and when would you use it?

Electrostimulation of the pelvic floor is a rehabilitation method widely used by health professionals. It helps in particular to relieve pelvic pain or to help people suffering from urinary incontinence.

Although perineal electrostimulation can be beneficial for men, it is mainly used by women whose perineum is more stressed during certain phases of life, such as pregnancy, childbirth or menopause.

What is a perineal electrostimulator?

A perineal electrostimulator is a compact electrical device connected to a perineal probe. The probe is composed of a metal part through which electrical impulses are transmitted in order to stimulate the perineum.

Electrostimulation of the perineum is internal because the probe must be placed in the vagina for women or in the anus for men.

Note that the electrical impulses delivered by a perineal electrostimulator are totally different from the charges produced by an electrostimulation device designed for athletes.

Electrostimulation of the pelvic floor after childbirth

The female pelvic floor can become weak and lose strength after pregnancy or childbirth. This can lead to a number of sometimes very annoying inconveniences, including:

● Urinary leakage,

● Pelvic pain,

● A loss of sensation during sex.

Electrostimulation helps tone and strengthen the pelvic floor in order to restore sufficient resistance to overcome incontinence problems and regain sensation.

It is particularly important to perform perineal rehabilitation after childbirth with a midwife, physiotherapist or doctor.

The healthcare professional may or may not then recommend the use of perineal electrostimulation in addition to manual rehabilitation aimed at strengthening the perineum in the long term.

Note that it is recommended to wait approximately six weeks after childbirth before starting perineal electrostimulation.

Electrostimulation of the perineum to treat incontinence problems

Relaxation of the perineum does not only occur after childbirth. Just like women, men can also strain their perineum and face incontinence problems.

Some factors can cause a loosening of the perineum in both men and women:

● Being overweight, causing constant pressure on the muscles of the perineum and the bladder,

● Age, because muscles weaken and relax over time,

● Chronic constipation,

● Smoking, causing an intense cough that weakens the perineum.

Electrostimulation alone does not permanently strengthen all the muscles of the perineum. The most effective solution is to combine manual rehabilitation of the perineum with a physiotherapist through regular electrostimulation sessions.

How to use an electrostimulation device for the perineum?

As explained previously, the perineal electrostimulator probe must be placed in the vagina in women and in the anus in men. The use of a water-based lubricating gel eases the introduction of the catheter.

In order to obtain conclusive results, it is recommended to perform an electrostimulation session of at least 20 minutes every other day. It is important to be diligent about this as, otherwise, the results will be drastically reduced.

The intensity of the electrical impulses should allow you to feel stimulation in the perineum. It is best to start each session at a low intensity. As your body adjusts to the stimulation, you can increase the intensity of the electrical impulses.

After childbirth, perineal rehabilitation and abdominal rehabilitation go hand in hand

After childbirth, it is important to rehabilitate the perineum to tone the muscle again and avoid incontinence problems which, if they do not occur immediately after childbirth, are sure to appear later.

Where perineal rehabilitation is often automatically prescribed after childbirth, abdominal rehabilitation is often forgotten. However, this would allow you to consolidate the deep abdominal muscles damaged during pregnancy and protect the perineum from daily efforts, such as carrying your baby.

Don’t hesitate to do abdominal rehabilitation sessions with a physiotherapist and then complete your rehabilitation using electrostimulation sessions targeting the stomach and abdominals to do at home.